Malaysian cuisine might not be on the tip of your tongue if you’ve never been to the lushly colored Southeast Asian land, but once you get a taste of Hainanese chicken, sambal beef and mango shrimp at recently opened Penang Town in Virginia Beach’s Newtown-Baker Crossing, it will be. Deliciously.
The first Malaysian restaurant within hundreds of miles, its dishes reflect Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and other influences. Flavors are vibrant, abetted by belacan, a Malaysian condiment made of fermented shrimp paste that unleashes an adrenaline surge. And reason to return.
Marisa Marsey
Marisa Marsey is a food, beverage and travel writer whose awards include 1st place Food Writing from the Virginia Press Association. A Johnson & Wales University representative, she has sipped Château d'Yquem '75 with Jean-Louis Palladin, sherpa-ed for Edna Lewis and savored interviews with Wolfgang Puck and Patrick O’Connell.
